


Sounds of You

by clarissawrites



Series: Sounds of You [1]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-15
Updated: 2017-12-05
Packaged: 2018-03-23 00:58:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 16,843
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3749158
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/clarissawrites/pseuds/clarissawrites
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A place for my Olicity and other Arrow ficletts.</p><p>Chapter 16: Morning after the wedding ficlett (pre 6x09)</p><p>Chapter 15: pre 6x04 drabble- William picks out Oliver's tie.</p><p>Chapter 14: Will's little family is growing.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Hold onto Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Little fluffy drabble inspired by tanyaslogic on tumblr, who posted a headcanon about Felicity teaching Oliver to slow dance.

Oliver walks into the dimmed loft and pauses, dropping his keys quietly into the bowl by the door. Felicity is dancing slowly around the living room by herself, stepping in a three-beat pattern to a beautiful melody playing through the speaker system. She’s humming along, turned away from him. 

Stepping closer, Oliver notices how she’s pushed the furniture out of the way to give herself space. Her arms are up, holding an imaginary partner and she sways gently as her body moves to the music. 

Slowly she turns, as the dance allows, and stops with a squeak when she sees him, a deep blush coloring her cheeks.

“Oliver… I didn’t hear you come in… I was just…”

He chuckles, stepping up to her. “It’s fine, Felicity. It looked like you were having fun. However, you might have more fun with a partner, provided you pick the right one.”

She blinks owlishly, sidestepping his cheeky comment. “You know how to waltz?”

“What would you say if I told you I didn’t?”

Shrugging, she looks up shyly. “I could teach you.”

He considers coming clean and telling her it’s not necessary, but there’s a sparkle of excitement in her eyes. Nodding he reaches for her and she grins, tugging his fingers into place.

“Your right hand goes here, on my back, and you hold my other, like this.” When they are set correctly, she looks up. “It’s pretty simple, really, just follow my lead. Normally, the guy leads, but since I’m teaching you, that wouldn’t really make any sense, would it?”

A slight chuckle escapes his lips and she blushes a little. He wants to kiss her, but she pulls away. “Sorry. Remember that position.”

She resets the music, and a slow, soft waltz starts to play as she steps back into his hold. 

“It’s really simple: just a one, two, three, one, two, three pattern. Left foot back, turn, step, step, right foot forward, turn, step, step, left foot back, and so on.”

Her lower lip goes between her teeth as she glides them around the living room, concentrating so hard on their feet and getting the steps right that she doesn’t notice him watching her instead of the pattern.

They work on it for a while—he goes the wrong way on purpose a few times at the start just to see her little headshake as she corrects him gently. Eventually though, he stops messing up and doubts she feels the shift as he starts to lead, still watching her watch their feet.

The song is almost over when she finally glances up to meet his eyes.

“Oliver, you’re not even looking at…” she trails off as he starts to grin and she raises the hand on his shoulder to smack him. “Oliver Queen, you lied to me!”

He feigns being offended. “What?”

“You totally know how to waltz!”

Pulling her a little closer, he continues the dance, and it is clear to both of them now that he is leading. “Maybe you’re just a good teacher.”

She scoffs. “Even if I was, nobody learns that quick. Besides, you told me you didn’t know how!”

He shakes his head. “I asked what you would say if I told you I didn’t know how to dance, and you said you’d teach me. And then you did.”

Her jaw drops. “Why you little…” 

Chuckling, he pulls her as close as possible as she struggles to come up with an appropriate insult. He leans down to press his forehead to hers. “Can you blame me for wanting to hold you?”

“We could have just danced.”

“I like when you teach me things.”

“Even things you already know how to do, apparently. And things you probably do much better than me in your sleep, too.”

Shaking his head, he presses his lips against her briefly. “You’re a wonderful dancer, Felicity. A wonderful teacher, too. Where did you learn?”

Dipping her head, the corners of her mouth tick upward at the memory. “A class in college. It sounded more interesting than regular PE freshman year. Of course, everyone thought it was strange that the super young genius Goth chick would take ballroom dancing. I didn’t care though; I loved it.”

“And excelled at it, apparently.”

Her cheeks pinken. The song is over, but he continues to glide them around the room. She leans her head against his shoulder, relaxing and following his lead. They sway to the sound of their heartbeats for a long time before she tilts her head upward to look at him.

“Oliver?”

“Yeah?”

“You were right. It is much more fun with a partner.”

“Good thing you picked the right one.” 

She smiles softly, and there is such love in her eyes. “I will always pick you for my partner, Oliver.”

“And I you,” he whispers, leaning down to capture her lips with his. 

They stop dancing after that, but it doesn’t really matter. Because no matter what they do, Oliver knows they will always be partners, and that’s the most important thing.


	2. Beneath the Mask

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Post 3x20 fic. Al Sa-him orders Felicity to surrender or die, and she reaches for the man she knows is hiding inside the Heir to the Demon. Can she get through to him before he kills her?

She looks in his eyes and knows it’s not him.

To be honest, she didn’t even need to look in his eyes, really, since her Oliver would never be pointing an arrow at her chest point blank, but she needed to know.

They’re dark, they’re cold, and her heart aches for him, for what they’ve taken from him.

“Oh, Oliver. What did they do to you?”

“I am Al Sa-him, heir to the demon. You will surrender to Ra’s al Ghul, or die.”

The wind whips around them and tears spill over onto Felicity’s cheeks. She should be terrified, an arrow three feet from her chest, but the only thing she feels is sorrow, sorrow for Oliver. Her hands rest limply at her side. Oliver’s voice is dark and growly, but not like when he’s the Arrow. This is different. She’s staring at a man she knows every inch of now, and he knows nothing of her. He looks like Oliver (except for the eyes), but it’s not Oliver.

Oliver is gone, for real. For good.

The thought makes her breath hitch in her throat and her vision blurs even more with tears.

“Tell your people to surrender!” he commands again. The order makes her flinch but she stands her ground.

“No.” 

Oliver has to be in there. Somewhere, he has to be in there still. He’s stalling more than she knows he probably should, and that gives her hope.

“You leave me no choice.” His fingers tighten, pulling the string of the bow back even further and she takes a deep breath.

“You’re not going to kill me.”

His brow furrows. He says nothing.

“This isn’t you, Oliver. I know you. You are not a killer, not anymore. Put your bow down.”

She can see the struggle in his drug-addled mind, the fight for her Oliver to resurface, to take over. She takes a step closer and he stiffens even more.

“Oliver. Look at me. Put the bow down.” She’s so close to him now. The arrow would probably go all the way through her if he let it fly. She could touch the tip without even trying, if she wanted to. She keeps her eyes on his though, half to try and forget the arrow is even there, and half to try and get through to him.

“Surrender,” he growls, glaring at her, but she holds his gaze. His eyes flicker, and for a moment, she almost sees Oliver in the darkness.

“Oliver, please.” She’s not begging. Her voice is soft, quiet. There is a struggle going on inside the man in front of her, and she is not afraid. Her Oliver is strong: he will win.

“I am Al Sa-him!” he roars, shifting closer to her. The tip of the arrow is practically touching her chest. Her voice is firm when she responds; steady even though she’s terrified of the danger in front of her.

“No. You are not. You are Oliver Queen, and I love you. I love you, Oliver. Come back to me.”

He inhales, anger flashing in his dark, dark eyes, but she never breaks eye contact, even though her eyes fill with water and overflow.

“I believe in you, Oliver. I love you.” The tears are unstoppable now, dripping onto her coat. “Please. Oliver. I love you.” Maybe if she repeats it enough, it will get through his thick skull. She can almost feel his breath on her face, and he looks deep into her eyes.

For a moment, she thinks he breaks, but then he shifts again bringing the bow just a touch higher, a muscle clenching in his jaw as he steadies himself. Impulsively, Felicity reaches for him, to smooth out the tension on the side of his face. 

Time stills. The moment stretches. “I love you,” Felicity whispers again, cupping his cheek, stroking the rough stubble with her thumb. As soon as her skin makes contact with his, something snaps in his eyes. For the briefest of seconds, she fears it is too much, and she’s going to die.

His bow clatters to the ground. He stares at her, but the intensity is gone. Replacing it is confusion and horror. With a sob, he drops to his knees in front of her, grasping her hips and leaning his head against her waist. 

“Felicity. Felicity, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. Oh, god. Felicity.” He sobs her name and she runs her hands over his short hair, relief coursing through her veins. 

“Hey. It’s ok. You’re ok. I’m here.” She repeats the words he’s said to comfort her before, tilting his face upwards and bending down to kneel with him on the cold wet pavement. His face is wet with tears now too. He looks broken and lost and horrified.

“Hey,” she whispers again, framing his face in her hands and leaning her forehead against his. “You’re ok.”

He clings to her like she’s a life raft and sobs. “I almost killed you. Oh god. Felicity.”

“Oliver. Look at me.” When he does, she gives him a watery smile. “I love you. I trust you. I believe in you. You weren’t going to kill me.”

“But I was.” He sounds so ashamed of himself.

“No. Al Sa-him was. But Al Sa-him is only a mask you put on, Oliver, it’s not really you. And if there’s one think I know, other than the fact that I love you, it’s that you will always find your way home to me. It was only a matter of time. You were not going to let that arrow fly.”

“I love you,” he whispers fiercely, as if the intensity in his voice can make it mean even more than it already does. 

“I know,” she smiles. “And I love you too.”

He kisses her, fiercely, passionately, but when he pulls away, there is sorrow in his eyes. “I have to leave, you know. I have to go back and find a way to explain why you are not dead, why you haven’t yet surrendered. I have to defeat this, defeat him, once and for all.”

“I know. And when you do, I’ll be here. Waiting for you.” She pulls one of his hands to her lips and kisses it. “You’ll find your way home to me again.”

He pulls her onto his lap and holds her for a long moment, whispering words she doesn’t know into her hair, promises in languages she’s never learned. With a sigh, he kisses her, and they stand together.

“I have to go.”

She nods, the tears forming in her eyes again. “I love you.”

“I love you too,” he whispers against her lips, kissing her one last time before disappearing into the night. The familiar ache settles in her chest, but she pushes it aside. 

Oliver will find his way home to her again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This ended up being a lot less dramatic than I intended, but I hope you like it anyway :)


	3. Perfect Height

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oliver and Felicity make a quick visit to Central City, and Barry finds out about their relationship. Set after season 3 of Arrow and 1 of Flash. Sort of a spec fic. Pure fluff.

They get to Jitters before Barry, which is not altogether surprising: even with super speed, Barry is late for everything. Felicity smiles to herself, settling back into her seat on one of the couches. Last time she was here, everything was almost as gloomy as Starling City always seems to be. Now, things have calmed a little in both places, and everything is returning to normal. Well, as normal as their lives will ever be.

Oliver’s waiting at the counter for their coffee when Barry arrives, and he waves at Barry with a smile as the forensic scientist heads toward Felicity to give her a hug.

“Oliver seems unusually happy,” he comments when they part, sitting in the seat across from her.

“Time off will do that to you,” she says smugly. Among other things. “Hey, Barry?”

“Yeah?”

“Do you think Oliver’s too tall for me?”

He frowns slightly. She tries her best to look innocent as his brain struggles to catch up. It’s rather amusing to see such a sharp-witted guy (one with superspeed, no less) at such a loss for words.

“Wha… what do you… what kind of question… Felicity?”

“Well, last time I was here, you told me Ray seemed a little too tall for me. Oliver’s just a tiny bit shorter than him, so I was wondering if you thought Oliver was too tall for me too.”

Barry gapes at her, glancing back to Oliver who has obtained the coffee and is exchanging pleasantries with the barista.

“But that…that would imply that… you… and Oliver… are…”

“Mmm-hmm?” Felicity queries, faking innocence, though she’s barely able to contain her smile. Oliver saunters over and hands her a mug. She hums her approval up to him. “Thank you.”

“Anything for you,” he returns with a grin. “And besides, we can’t have you fetching it anymore, or I might end up comatose again.”

She fake-glares at him. “One time, and I’ll never live it down.”

“Nope,” he grins, and leans over to peck her on the lips. “Love you.”

“Love you too.”

Remembering they have an audience, Felicity glances over grins at the expression on Barry’s face when Oliver pulls away. He stutters and points between them.

“You… but… I…”

“Something you’d like to share with the class, Barry?” she teases. Oliver smirks as he sips his coffee, putting an arm around her. She leans into him a little, instinctively.

“I knew it!” Barry finally exclaims, leaning forward. “I knew you liked Oliver when I first met you and I knew you didn’t really love Ray and I knew that Oliver loved you. I knew it!”

Oliver chuckles, his chest rumbling comfortably beneath her and she can’t keep the goofy grin off her face.

“Word of advice, Barry?” Oliver pipes up. “Ignore everything I told you before.” He turns and smiles his special Felicity-smile at her and she smiles back, wondering what exactly he’d said to Barry. “Love is the most important thing. When you find it, don’t push it away.” Their hands tangle together and he rubs a thumb over her knuckles. “Love makes us stronger.”

“You big sap,” Felicity teases.

He lifts her hand to his mouth and kisses it. “You love it.”

“I love you.”

Barry groans as he stands, breaking them out of their little bubble again. “You guys are ridiculous. I’m getting coffee. Oh, and Felicity?"

"Yeah?"

"Oliver's the perfect height for you."

Oliver sends her a questioning look, but Felicity just laughs, snuggling closer to him. He’s right: their love makes them both stronger. She’s just glad they finally figured it out.


	4. Small Boats on the Ocean: Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sara Lance visits Starling City just in time to help "Team Arrow" in a time of need. Post 3.23, sort of a spec fic for season 4 and Legends of Tomorrow. (Written pre-4x03)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fic kind of got away from me. It was supposed to be a short drabble about Sara returning to Starling for a visit after her dip in the Lazarus pit for Legends, and turned into a little more. It will be at least two chapters long, and the first chapter is a little angsty. Mostly Sara/Felicity interaction, but some Olicity toward the end with appearances by Laurel, Thea, and Digg. [I have no idea what Sara's going to be like when she comes back, but this is a take on her first interaction with the team.]

“Sara?”

The crease of confusion between Felicity’s eyebrows would be adorable, Sara thinks, if only she wasn’t lying on the ground, bleeding, disoriented, and clutching her (probably broken) left arm to her side.

“Hey. You’re safe now.”

“You’re s’pposed to be dead,” Felicity slurs, and the statement itself worries Sara more even than impaired speech or bleeding skin. She knows for a fact that Oliver told Felicity of her return, given that he’d professed turning over a new leaf of “no lying” when it came to his girl, specifically asking Sara for permission to tell _at least_ her, if no on else yet.

(He’d never explicitly stated that he and Felicity were together, but Sara knew him well enough to recognize that things had happened while she’d been… gone. He was happier. Lighter. And when he mentioned Felicity, his eyes lit up in a special, soft way that reminded her of how she felt about Nyssa.)

There are more pressing matters at hand, though, namely in the shape of one small and very beat up hacker bleeding out at her feet.

“Can you move?” Sara queries, fluttering about and feeling utterly helpless and stupid about it. She’s an assassin that came back from the dead, for Pete’s sake. All the same, she doesn’t want to grab Felicity and run (though she probably should) for fear of jarring or hurting her more than is necessary.

Felicity groans, tries to sit up, winces horribly, and shakes her head. “No moving. Just gonna lie here and sleep.”

“No, Felicity, don’t fall asleep on me. Keep your eyes open.” Sara wills her friend to stay awake, growing more worried by the second. Felicity has lost a lot of blood and is in a lot of pain, but she needs to be as alert as possible when Sara moves her.

Shifting around to Felicity’s right side, the former assassin kneels again, brushing a lock of stray hair from the injured woman’s face. “I’m going to help you sit up now, ok?”

Felicity nods, her eyes screwed shut beneath her crooked glasses. Sara slips an arm around her’s shoulders and lifts slowly, but Felicity still cries out in pain, her right hand flying down a few inches to clutch at the wound her side, just above her left hip. The movement causes her left arm to relax downward a little, and Felicity cries out again, right hand returning to cradle it. Her head begins to shake, tears streaking down her dirty face.

“No moving,” she protests weakly.

“I have to move you, Felicity. We have to get you out of here, because the building isn’t safe. This is going to hurt a lot, but I’m guessing there’s no way you’re going to stand and walk out of here, so I’m going to have to carry you.”

“Want Oliver,” comes the weak reply.

She’s pitiful, the poor thing, but Sara knows exactly how she feels. “I’m taking you to him,” she reassures.

As smoothly as she can, Sara slips her other arm under Felicity’s knees and lifts. There’s more crying involved, but at least the (slightly) smaller blonde isn’t too heavy.

(Sara supposes that Oliver would have an easier time of this, since she and Felicity are practically the same size, but the fact of the matter is that she got to Felicity first, and they have a tiny bit of a building-could-fall-at-any-second issue.)

“Breathe, Felicity,” She orders, knowing the pain is probably unbearable at this point, and begins to make her way to the exit. It takes her twice as long as she would like to get out of there and to their ride, which she realizes belatedly is a pair of motorcycles, one for her and one for Oliver. Digg, Thea and Laurel are probably still halfway across town in the van.

Also, the comm. link Oliver gave her is out.

“Felicity, do you have your phone?

The blonde in her arms groans something unintelligible. Sara doesn’t really want to set her down, fearing it will hurt her injuries more. She doesn’t have to make a choice though, as the van squeals around the corner and screeches to a halt, Thea and Laurel scrambling out and stopping short at the sight of her.

Oh. Right.

In all the excitement, Oliver probably hasn’t had the chance to tell either of them that she was here. (They might not know she was alive yet, either. This isn’t exactly how she planned to break the news. Especially not to Laurel.)

There’s no time for that though, and Sara rushes toward them as fast as the weight in her arms will allow. “She needs a hospital, now. And get a hold of Oliver, my comm. is down.”

Digg, bless him, throws her one extremely bewildered look and rolls with the punches, moving into motion. Tapping his comm., he calls for Oliver while moving things around for the cot in the back. Sara lays Felicity on it as gently as possible. Thea’s pulled herself together enough to help, but Laurel still stands, shocked, beside the bikes.

Oliver rushes out of the building and scrambles into the van seconds later. Sara moves out of the way to let him in, and he gives her a look, glancing at Laurel. “Take the bikes. Meet us there.”

Sara nods, but he’s already turned away, leaning in to care for the injured woman. (He is so obviously in love. Much more than the last time she saw them together.)

“Keep your eyes open, ok? Look at me, Felicity. You’re going to be ok. We’re going to take you to the hospital, and you’re going to be fine.” There is a hint of desperation in his voice as he speaks to her, gently. He’s terrified.

“You can’t go t’ the h’spital like that,” is the last thing Sara hears before Thea pulls the doors shut and Digg speeds off.

Turning to Laurel, Sara takes in her sister. “Don’t be mad at him. I asked him not to say anything until I could come here in person.”

“How?” is apparently all Laurel can manage, sounding slightly strangled. Sara doesn’t blame her; it’s a lot to process.

“Lazarus pit. Time-traveling, world-saving shenanigans. I wasn’t myself for a while either, and I didn’t want you to see me like that. I promise to tell you all about it, but I’d really like to get to the hospital. Felicity’s in pretty bad shape.”

Laurel swallows hard and nods. She reaches out a hand, hesitantly, and draws it back. “Can I…”

Sara steps forward and wraps her in a hug. Laurel squeezes her back tightly. When they break apart, there are tears in the older Lance woman’s eyes. “Let’s go.”

It’s a testament to the bond of the team when they enter the hospital (after changing hastily) that Laurel is the first one to inquire after Felicity’s condition. Sara wasn’t aware that her sister and Felicity were close, particularly, but when they find Thea in the waiting room, Laurel gives Oliver’s sister a tight hug and whispers that everything will be fine.

“Felicity’s stronger than all of us. She’ll make it through.”

So much has changed, for all of them (and they really need to talk about it all) but for now they sit and wait, praying that Laurel’s words are true.


	5. Small Boats on the Ocean: Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity and Sara chat in the hospital after the accident. Wrap up/conclusion to chapter 4.

Felicity’s arm still throbs a little when she wakes, but her side is blissfully numb. She knows they probably gave her some of the good drugs too: she was in surgery, after all. Right now, though, she’s awake and would like some company, thank you very much.

(She knows she needs to be resting. Yes, she’s tired and wants to rest, but she wants to see her friends more, and reassure them that’s she’s ok. She doesn’t remember a lot, other than the pain, but she does remember panicked faces.)

Oliver knocks lightly on the door, stepping inside. “Hey.”

His smile doesn’t quite reach his eyes because he’s so tired. He’s wearing street clothes, but there is dirt and blood and grease paint on his face still. (She has a vague memory of him changing in the back of the van while Thea kept her from getting jostled.)

“You feeling ok?” He reaches for her hand and she resists rolling her eyes.

“No worse than the last time you asked five minutes ago, just after I woke up.”

His eyes close briefly and he huffs a laugh. “Sorry. You’re probably tired of people asking you that.”

“I do wish the nurses would ease up a bit, but it would be worse if I’d seen everyone else already,” she hints. He chuckles lightly, lifting her hand to his lips.

“Well, the doctor said only one visitor at a time. Who do you want me to get first?”

Felicity considers for a moment even though she already knows her answer. “Sara, please. I mean, she is out there, isn’t she? I didn’t dream that part?”

He stands and presses a kiss to her forehead. “Be right back.”

She closes her eyes while he’s gone, trying to ignore the itch in her cast, and starts slightly when someone knocks lightly on the door. Looking up, she gasps, a small smile spreading across her face.

“Sara.”

“Hey, sailor.”

“You’re really here. Oliver told me… but I didn’t really believe it, even when I saw you earlier. It was like a dream. I mean, I watched Thea get resurrected, but you were dead a lot longer, and then we didn’t see you because you were off doing whatever it is you’re doing, and I didn’t doubt him but it’s really hard to imagine someone you saw dead and then buried is alive again without seeing them.”

Sara laughs, cutting of her ramble. “Well, here I am.”

“I’m so glad you’re not dead. Again. Again, again? How many times is this for you? I’m losing count. You should really try to stay alive this time.”

The former assassin’s grin is lopsided. “I will. But I could almost say the same to you.”

“Right.” Felicity smiles, then thinks of something and frowns. “That was really you, up there? You took me out of that building.”

“I did.”

“How did you know to come get me?”

Sara runs a hand over the back of her neck and sits in the chair. “I came to see you guys and when I contacted Oliver, he told me they couldn’t find you, so I took one of the comms and followed him to the building.”

“Oh.”

“How’s your arm?” Sara asks after a moment of silence.

Felicity glances down at the cast and wiggles her fingers a little. “Definitely broken. It’s not too bad, though. The doctor said I’ll be able to type a little in a few weeks if I’m careful and take it easy. The hardest part is coming up with an excuse at work. CEO’s probably don’t break their arms very often. I’ve never actually broken anything before. I wasn’t a very active child. It will be a new experience for everybody. My assistant’s going to have to do a lot more work, poor thing. He’s already so good to me. How am I going to lie about this? I’m a terrible liar.”

Sara grins. “We’ll think of something to tell them. How’s your side? You were bleeding pretty badly when I found you.”

“They stitched me up. Not a lot of internal damage. I’ll heal. I’ll have another scar, though.”

This draws a laugh from Sara. “Why is it always that you get scars when I’m around?”

“Not always,” Felicity retorts hotly, before remembering the circumstances that brought about her other scar.

“Ollie said you hadn’t been in the field much.”

“It wasn’t while I was in the field.” Felicity mumbles, her face heating up at the memory. (It’s a very nice memory, actually, but one she hasn’t shared with anyone, since it is rather private, too.)

“Oh?” Sara looks intrigued and amused at her reaction. “Sound’s like there’s a story there.”

“It’s nothing.”

“Nuh-uh. I want to hear about this other scar you have. You’ve heard about a lot of mine. Spill.”

Felicity knows her face is probably red as a beet. She looks down, picking at a loose thread on the blanket. “It’s really not an exciting story. I fell over, broke a vase. Got a cut on my leg. That’s about it.”

“Mm-hmm. And what were you doing when you fell over and broke the vase?”

“Why does it matter?” None of the rest of them care about her and Oliver’s private life anymore, (which is fine by her, she embarrasses herself enough as is) so why does Sara?

“Why do you look like a kid with their hand caught in the cookie jar?”

Felicity glares at her. “Fine. I was trying to seduce Oliver.”

Sara bursts out laughing. “Oh, honey,” she says when she can speak again. “Don’t you know that man is head over heels for you? You don’t need to seduce him.”

Felicity mock-pouts. “We were on our road trip, after he defeated Ra’s. We’d also already had sex multiple times, thank you very much, and I was trying to be sexy because we’d spent the day apart for some alone time and I thought it would be fun and different. It worked, until he backed me into the dresser and I lost my balance and landed on the vase. I had to get five stitches.”

“Bet that kind of killed the mood,” Sara grins.

Felicity wiggles her eyebrows, Sara’s un-fazed reaction boosting her confidence. “I convinced him I needed extra cuddle time to take my mind off the pain in my leg. Cuddle time might have turned into something more. Not exactly what I was going for in the first place, but it all worked out in the end.”

Sara laughs again. “You sly little minx.”

Felicity smiles, but looks away a few seconds later, feeling slightly awkward when she thinks of something else. “It’s not weird, is it? I mean, Laurel said it wasn’t really for her, anymore, but you were with him too, and I just, I don’t want this to be something that makes you uncomfortable or…”

“Felicity.” Sara stops her with a hand to the knee. “I ended it with him because it wasn’t a healthy relationship. I’ll always love him in some capacity, but not like that. Not anymore. Even back then, I knew that you were better for him. _Are_ better for him. He needs you. He wants you. He loves you, and if you love him, then I couldn’t be happier for the two of you.”

Felicity looks at Sara again, smiling softly. “I do love him. And he loves me. It’s wonderful. I mean, we’ve only been together a few months, really, but we spent almost five of them away, just the two of us.”

“Took you two long enough.”

“Excuse me?”

“Please. You’ve been making eyes at him since the first moment I met you, and I was surprised he wasn’t all over you back then, with the way he acted around you.”

Felicity smiles softly. “Yeah. I guess I have loved him for a while. I just didn’t think anything would ever come of it.”

“You should have tried to seduce him earlier.”

Felicity rolls her eyes, turning the conversation back to a safer topic. (One she’s less likely to embarrass herself in, anyway.)

“So, are you back for good, now?”

“I’ll be doing other work. I don’t know how much Oliver told you, but it’s going to be pretty dangerous, so I wasn’t sure if I should tell anyone I was back. Oliver reminded me that life is precious, and even a little time with those we love is better than no time at all. That’s why I decided to visit. Although, I was surprised he was the one to tell me that.”

“We’ve talked about it a lot.”

Sara tilts her head slightly, regarding the younger woman. “Wow, being with you has really been good for him.”

“Oh, it wasn’t me. He had to get to that place on his own before we could be together. If he was going to keep dangling maybe’s, I didn’t want any part of it. I mean, I did, because have you seen that body? Okay, you have, obviously, and we’re not going to talk about that because I don’t really care for that mental image and what was I saying? Oh. I didn’t really want him if he wasn’t all in. You know, like for my future. I want someone who isn’t scared of being happy, even if the happiness doesn’t last forever. We’ll work it out together, and that’s the most important thing.”

“There’s a reason you’re the genius.”

Felicity blushes and Sara grins.

“I’m so happy for the two of you. Seriously. And I’d talk about it with you all day, but I think if Thea doesn’t get to see you soon, she’ll wear a hole in the floor of the waiting room and fall down to the next floor. Don’t worry, though, I’ll see you again before I leave, after you get out of here.”

She leans over and hugs Felicity gently.

“Thank you,” the injured blonde whispers.

“Thank _you_ , Felicity, for always seeing the best in people.”

She smiles as Sara leaves, wondering how she ever got so lucky to be a part of this miscellaneous band of misfits she calls her family.


	6. Holding onto Hope

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the aftermath of 4x09, Oliver waits with his family in the hospital while Felicity's in surgery.

He calls Digg after she flatlines the first time, hope draining from his fingers as he dials. They’d gotten her back, but they make him wait outside the room while they work on stabilizing her for surgery.

It’s obvious the other man knows something’s wrong as soon as he answers the phone, clearly not expecting to hear from either of them so soon after their engagement.

“John, I need you to bring Donna and Thea to Starling General as soon as possible.” His voice shakes and his hands shake and he almost drops the phone. Feeling as though he’s holding on for dear life, while Felicity might very well be doing just that, he does his best to pay attention to Digg’s calm voice on the other end.

“Oliver, you need to tell me what happened.”

He’s barely processed it enough as is, but knows that dragging his sister and his girlfriend’s, no his _fiancé’s_ mother here without any explanation would be worse.

“The ghosts… the limo was attacked. She was… she was shot, John.”

“How bad, Oliver?”

He squeezes his eyes shut, pressing his free hand to his temple as he tries not to think of the way her pulse barely fluttered under his fingers as he waited for the paramedics. “They are trying to stabilize her for surgery now.”

“We’ll be there as fast as we can.”

The phone clicks off and Oliver nearly drops it as he tries to slip it back into his pocket. The monotone sound of the heart rate monitor leveling off for a few seconds still buzzes in his ears and he drops into a chair, barely aware that he’d been pacing. His legs feel numb. His entire body feels numb.

She’d _died_ on that operating table.

There’s still a flurry of activity behind the closed door. He can’t see anything that they are doing, but the faint murmurs he hears are not frantic and he tries to take that as a good sign. He has no idea how much time passes before the doors at the end of the hallway open and Thea comes bursting through, followed by a hysterical Donna clinging to John’s arm.

“Ollie.” Thea bends to hug him tightly, apparently not caring that he has blood, her blood covering his shirt and hands. After a moment, she pulls back to look at him but he can’t meet her eyes.

Donna drops into the chair next to him, crying. He briefly wonders if he should be comforting her, but Thea beats him to it, taking Donna’s hand in her own.

“Oliver?” John asks.

He swallows hard, waving his hand vaguely in the direction of the door. “I don’t know. They kicked me out after… after she….” He can’t bring himself to say the words; even thinking them was too much. “They needed more room to stabilize and prep her for surgery.”

Donna’s crying too much to understand what he can’t say and Thea hasn’t been around the casualties or near death enough yet, but John gets it. He takes a step back, running a hand over his head.

“She’ll be ok, Ollie. She’s strong.”

They sit there for a long time, the only sound other than Donna’s crying and Thea’s murmured comfort coming from the clock on the wall. It ticks out a taunting metronome, and Oliver finds himself wanting to smash it as the numbness fades. Anger flares through him suddenly, and he stands quickly, blood rushing to his head. He wants so scream and cry and hit something all at once. Stalking to the end of the hall, he barely hears Thea call after him.

“Oliver, man. Calm down.” John follows him and puts a hand on his arm, but Oliver throws it off.

“I can’t, John! She’s dying in there. She _died_ in there.”

He hears Donna and Thea gasp and Donna starts crying harder but Oliver doesn’t care right now.

“Her heart stopped, John! Right in front of me!”

Digg pulls him away and lowers his voice so Donna can’t hear them. “Your heart stopped too, Oliver, when she and I pulled that bullet out of you. There’s a team of highly trained medical professionals in there and they will save her life. You have to calm down.”

Hot, angry tears spill over, but Oliver doesn’t care. “I can’t lose her.”

“You won’t,” Digg says with conviction, just as the door opens and one of the nurses steps out.

“Mr. Queen?”

Donna’s on her feet too, clinging to Thea. They’re both crying now. Oliver turns toward the man, bracing himself for the worst.

“They’re finishing surgery now. She’s stable, but we’re going to monitor her for a while yet before we can allow anyone in to see her.”

“She’s alive?” he whispers.

The man offers a small smile. “She’s doing rather well, all things considered. We’re very optimistic for a full recovery.”

Oliver feels his knees go weak. John guides him back to his chair and helps him sit. Suddenly needing some sort of physical contact, he gropes around and finds Donna’s hand so they can cling to one another.

They have a long road ahead of them, he knows that, but a tiny bit of hope begins to seep back through his fingers. Trying desperately to believe Thea’s words that Felicity will be all right, he settles back to wait until he can see her. He’s still terrified and angry, but somehow he knows she’s going to make it through.


	7. sister, don't let go [of us]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thea and Digg in the hospital, post 4x09
> 
> Chapter title from Sister by Mumford and Sons

For nearly 24 hours afterward, Thea is a stronghold for her brother and his almost-mother-in-law. For 24 hours, she barely cries, barely processes, barely thinks beyond the here and now. She’s the one that listens to the information the doctors give them because Oliver can’t make sense of it yet; she makes decisions (along with John, bless him) that Donna and Oliver are to distressed to think about. She makes phone calls (to Laurel, to Lance, to Star Labs, to Palmer Tech) because no one else can. She goes to the loft to get Oliver and Donna a change of clothing. She’s straightforward, to the point. She gets done what needs to be done.

Eventually, though, like the rest of them, she breaks.

John finds her in the hallway outside of Felicity’s room, sobbing on the floor. He sits down beside her and wraps her in a hug. He’s crying too, but it’s not as obvious.

“It’s not fair. Why did it have to be her?” Thea knows she sounds like a whiny little child, but she doesn’t care anymore, and it really isn’t fair. John rubs her back slowly.

 “She’ll make it through, Thea.”

 It’s the same mantra they’ve been repeating to Oliver over and over for the last day, but for the first time since John brought her and Donna to the hospital, Thea’s not sure if she believes it anymore.

 “I always wanted a sister,” she responds, very quietly. “Felicity would have been a great one.”

 “Felicity _will_ be a great one,” John corrects, and as hopeless as she’s feeling, Thea admires his tenacity.

 “I just… ever since I first met her, I knew she would be good for Ollie. She was always there, you know? She made him smile when I didn’t think he still knew how. She made…makes him happy.”

 “Felicity is the best person I’ve ever known. She makes everyone happy.” He pulls back to look at her. “She _will_ be all right, Thea. She’s kind and tender hearted, but she’s also the strongest person I know, and the most stubborn, next to your brother.”

 Thea wipes her nose on her sleeve. “I didn’t think that was possible.”

John lets out a breath of air that tries to pass as a laugh. “About a week after she started working with us, she locked Oliver in the lair because he was about to do something she didn’t agree with. I knew that she’d do just fine with us then. He ended up not killing the man, and instead got him to return money he’d embezzled. She hasn’t backed down since. When she got shot saving Sara, she wouldn’t go to the hospital because ‘none of us ever did’. She never lets any of us get away with anything that she knows isn’t right. She always speaks her mind.”

 “She always knows what to say. Even if it comes out wrong or sounds funny in the moment, it is always somehow comforting,” Thea adds, and John smiles a little at her.

“She’s not going to give up easily, Thea.”

“Her heart already stopped twice.”

“Yeah, but they got it going again. She’s stable now. She’ll wake up. And when she does, we’ll be waiting for her.”

 “I’m just so scared,” she admits quietly, hugging her knees. She feels small and helpless, and can’t help thinking that the last time she felt this way, Felicity was there to help her through it.

 “I’m scared too,” John says. He rubs a hand over his face. “But I can’t let those feelings overtake the hope.” His phone buzzes and he glances down at it. “Lyla’s on the way. She’s bringing food and coffee.” Giving Thea one more hug, he stands and helps her to her feet.

Thea’s heart still aches and it’s hard to breathe through the tears that are perpetually hanging out in her throat, but she feels a little more confident in Felicity’s chances of making it through. Wiping away her tears, she enters the hospital room again.

She has to be strong. She has to believe that Felicity will wake up and get better. She has to make sure Oliver eats and rests, and she has to help him believe too.

Besides, John’s right: Felicity won’t give up easily. And Thea won’t give up on her.


	8. when silence comes.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Post 4x23 drabble. not really a speculation, just something that would be cute.

(inspired by [this](http://yet-i-remain-quiet.tumblr.com/post/144578436735/olicitycomics-smoakgifs-x-grey-blanket) post on tumblr)

* * *

 

When it is all over, none of them know quite what to do.

Lance and Donna leave pretty quickly, but Felicity really doesn’t want to think about why. John goes to be with Lyla and baby Sara, Curtis goes home to Paul. Thea sits on a chair in the loft and stares blankly out at the city.

Oliver makes hot chocolate in a pan on the stove. 

The stars are just beginning to disappear from the dark of night when Felicity finally sits down on the couch, exhaustion slamming into her.

She hasn’t slept for more than three hours at a time in the last several days, weeks even, and everything is finally hitting her all at once.

Rubicon. Havenrock. Cooper. The Glades. Darhk.

So many casualties. So much pain.

Propping her elbows on her knees she buries her face in her hands and tries not to cry. Every part of her feels raw, ravaged by the cruelness of it all, torn to bits and scrapped back together with crazy glue and silly string. Tears leak from her eyes but she has no energy left to let out the sobs that ache in her chest.

It’s all too much. Temples throbbing with a long-overdue headache, Felicity pulls her feet up and curls into a ball on her side, using the throw pillow under her head. She trembles with exhaustion and grief and a chill that is quickly settling deep in her bones from who knows what else, but can’t pull herself up to reach for the blanket still resting on the back of the couch where she left it earlier—was it only last night?—before Curtis showed up and met her dad.

Her _dad._

Yet another thing on the list of Things Felicity Can’t Process Right Now.

She just lies there, staring into the vacant space in front of her eyes, shivering.

Slowly, the exhaustion begins to take over. Her eyes slip shut for longer and longer, she stops shivering long enough to yawn once or twice, and even though she’s far from comfortable, she feels the deep pull of sleep.

Rationally she knows she should go up to her bed. She’ll get much better rest there. But she also knows that she won’t sleep well or for long anyway. The nightmares will start, maybe, and if they don’t, the nervous energy she can still feel beneath her tiredness will wake her back up as soon as she has enough rest to function.

So she closes her eyes and listens to Oliver move around the kitchen, listens to him deliver hot chocolate to Thea and their soft voices murmuring together for a few minutes, listens to him make his way over to her.

The aroma of the hot drink is pleasant, and Felicity wants to get up and enjoy it, but she’s already half asleep and can’t force herself to open her eyes, let alone sit up. Oliver sets it gently on the table beside her and she thinks for a moment he’s just moving away, back to the kitchen or Thea. Instead, he gently removes her shoes from her feet and sets them beside the couch. The weight of the blanket comes next, settling over her gently, chasing away the last of the shivers that run the length of her spine. Oliver adjusts it below her feet and around her shoulders, making sure she’s well covered.

The warmth is all it takes, and she feels the last pulls of sleep dragging her under. She feels him slip her glasses from her face and gently press his lips to her forehead, and then everything fades away into the blissful emptiness of slumber.


	9. A Mother's Comfort (post 3x10)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aftermath of 3x10. Felicity calls her mom in an attempt to process some of the grief she is feeling. (written pre 3x11)

A short fic I wrote based on [this](http://effie214.tumblr.com/post/108792257906) tumblr post. 

* * *

Donna Smoak picks up on the second ring.

“Hello?” her voice is cheerful and thin through the phone. Felicity leans against the wall in her kitchen in the dark and takes a breath.

“Mom.” The word comes out choked, a half-sob, catching in her throat. She slides down the wall until she is sitting with her forehead on her knees.

“Felicity?” the tone changes instantly to confusion and concern. “Honey, what’s wrong?”

The crying starts then, coarse, ugly sobs that tear from her lips and echo in her empty apartment. She can hear her mother saying her name again, but the tears keep coming. She shakes violently, sobs wracking her entire body, clutching the phone to her ear like a life raft.

Except _he_ was her life raft, and now he’s gone.

“He’s gone,” she cries, stumbling over the words as they mix with her sobbing. “He’s gone.” Nothing else matters anymore. She gasps for air between sobs, unable to comprehend what her mother is saying in response. It doesn’t matter though, the voice itself is enough. They haven’t always gotten along, but Donna is still her mother, the same mother that provided comfort when she was a little child, a comfort she desperately seeks now even though she knows it will make little difference.

Donna is talking, asking her something, but Felicity can’t hear a thing over the roaring in her ears. She’s been shipwrecked and the tide is coming in, crashing over her in a violent, dark wave. “Mommy,” she manages to say, before the water swallows her up completely. “Mommy.”

The grief consumes her and her phone drops from her hand to the floor. She doesn’t know how long she sits there, wailing non-human-like sounds and crying until her throat and eyes burn. She cries for hours, eventually exhausting herself to sleep, right there in the kitchen.

It’s light outside when she wakes, curled up on the floor. Light, but clearly still very early in the morning. She feels numb inside, but her skin is cold and she shivers. Still too exhausted to move, she continues to lie there, ignoring when the alarm in her bedroom goes off. She stares into the distance, disregarding the passage of time.

The living room is bright when a knock comes at her door, startling her out of her reverie. Probably John or Roy, she decides, maybe even Ray, but likely not. She ignores it, staring at the place where tile meets the wall.

The knock comes again, stronger and more persistent. She doesn’t want to see or talk to any of them right now. A surge of anger propels her to her feet. She’s fully prepared to yell at whomever it is to leave when she whips open the door, but stops short at seeing her mother.

Donna Smoak stands once again on Felicity’s porch, unexpected. She’s wearing the most normal and appropriate clothing Felicity has ever seen her in wear in public, a white and pink striped sundress. In her hands are a large tub of mint chip ice cream and a bottle of red wine.

“I don’t know what happened, baby, but I’m here.” She steps past her daughter into the house.

Felicity moves automatically, shutting the door and continuing to stare.

Donna moves into the kitchen, setting down the wine and putting the ice cream in the freezer. “Was it Ray Palmer?  I liked him, but he was a little pushy. Let me guess, he took you out for dinner, told you wonderful things, and decided it wasn’t going to work out because you work together, and broke up with you.

“No,” she whispers, numbly moving to the couch. “No, he didn’t…”

“Oh! It was Oliver, wasn’t it? Oliver Queen? Now there is a good-looking man. I liked him even better. Though I wouldn’t have expected him to do anything like that. I think he genuinely liked you. As a friend, if not more. Either way, he wouldn’t have left you abruptly. Did he leave you abruptly?”

“Mom, please, stop…” it was too much. Yes, Oliver left her abruptly, but not the way her mother thought.

Donna sits down next to her. “Honey, it’s ok to talk about it. I didn’t talk about your father leaving to anyone for a very long time, and that was probably my worst mistake. Besides, if he does realize his mistake and comes back, you will know where you stand. If you do want to try again, or if the heartbreak isn’t worth it anymore.”

“Mom… he’s not… he isn’t….” Felicity starts to cry again, her eyes stinging with tears. She takes a deep breath. “He’s not coming back.”

“Honey, I know you think that because your father didn’t come back. But that doesn’t mean you’ll have the same lack of luck that I did. You’re smart, baby. Smart and beautiful, and he’s a fool if he thinks that…”

“He’s not coming back because he’s dead!” She shouts the words, springing to her feet. Her hands ball into fists at her sides and she breaths heavily, trying to control herself.  Donna looks shocked, unable to comment. “He’s dead.” Felicity begins to cry again. “Oliver’s dead and….” Bile rises in her throat and she rushes to the bathroom, gagging. She hasn’t eaten since lunch yesterday, and nothing comes up, but she hangs her head over the toilet anyway, sobbing.

A hand on her back reminds her she isn’t alone. She turns, puffy eyes and trembling lips to meet her mother’s saddened expression.

“I’m so sorry, baby. I didn’t know. I’m so sorry.”

Felicity curls up in Donna’s lap cries.

It’s mid-afternoon when she wakes again, this time in her bed. She’s no longer wearing her dress and her hair is down and tangled. Briefly, she recalls her mom helping her out of the bathroom, into her pajamas, and into bed.

The scent of coffee floats in from the kitchen. Felicity stands, and her stomach growls even though she doesn’t feel like eating anything. Hushed voices float in through the crack in her door, and she slowly exits the bedroom to find Diggle sitting on a barstool talking to Donna quietly.

They turn when she enters. “John,” she whispers sadly. He stands and crosses to her, wrapping her in a tight hug. She buries her face into his chest. After a long moment, he kisses the top of her head and steps back.

“I should go. I just stopped by to check on you, but I can see you’re being taken care of. Next time, though, don’t leave your phone on the kitchen floor, and answer it, please.” It is not a request. Felicity nods and he smiles sadly at her before turning to Donna.

“It was nice to meet you again, Ms. Smoak. And thank you for the coffee.”

“No problem at all, Mr. Diggle.”

They shake hands and he leaves, pressing a gentle hand to Felicity’s shoulder before going. She sits on the stool he vacated, and her mother hands her a cup of coffee and a plate with toast. 

They spend the day together, and slowly, Felicity begins to heal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just realized I never posted this to ao3, so I thought I'd do that now! This was written between 3x10 and 3x11, so please excuse any inconsistencies with canon past that point. Thanks for reading!


	10. So Runs The World Away

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Felicity is abducted after completing a run-of-the-mill mission. Devastated, Oliver doesn't know what to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the first part in a piece I've been working since the end of season 3. As such, some season 3 and 4 elements are incorporated where others are not, and most of season 5 is obsolete, at least at this point. Warning: this first chapter is sort of sad: It will get better if and when I continue posting the rest. Enjoy!

[NOW POSTED AS ITS OWN WORK](http://archiveofourown.org/works/9660479/chapters/21823829)

 

_January 9 th, 2021_

Oliver stumbles to his knees inside the front door, exhaustion weighing down on his shoulders. He takes a shuddering breath, sobs catching in his throat as he tries in vain to stop his hands from shaking. The last few days have been the worst days of his life, but there is nothing more to be done tonight.

Feet pad softly across the hardwood floor, and he drags his head up to watch Thea cross the room toward him, her arms wrapped tightly around her middle.

“Ollie?” she whispers, the tiniest ounce of hope left in her voice. It crushes him, but he’s unable to respond, barely managing to meet her eyes sadly.

His eyes say everything he can’t, and she covers her mouth with a hand and turns away slightly, visibly fighting back tears. He can hear the breath rush in through her nose as tears well up, her shoulders shaking. She braces herself on the back of the couch, emotions crackling through the room like raw electricity.

It’s way too quiet and Oliver feels so cold.

Neither of them says anything for a long time. Slowly, Thea moves to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. He leans into her touch, craving comfort she can’t give and lets the tears fall. He just wants Felicity; he needs his wife.

He chokes out a sob and Thea’s fingers dig into his shoulder as she tries to compose herself. He knows she was holding out hope for both of them, hope that he could bring Felicity home and they could put this nightmare behind them.

He doesn’t quite know how much time passes before he pushes himself to his feet and makes his way over to a barstool at the kitchen counter to sit, running his fingers over the edge of the granite surface. Hollow silence fills the room. He feels distant from Thea, two separate entities that are no longer quite connected, because of this devastating loss. Oliver is drained and limp, not just from the stress of the last few days, but also from the crippling realization that Felicity is really and truly gone.

_She’s GONE._

Thea’s voice is soft when she finally speaks again. “She’s a hero, Ollie.”

“She already was.” His tone is clipped. He doesn’t mean to be harsh, but he’s oh so tired. It’s been three days and he misses his wife so badly that he can barely breathe. There is a vice around his ribs and a lump of bile in the back of his throat.

“I know,” Thea responds, her voice quiet and small. He can hear the tears she’s trying to blink back.

Oliver’s head drops to his hands. Rubbing calloused fingers over his hair and the back of his neck, he debates telling his sister everything, but lies have never gotten them anywhere. The words are still hard to get out. “Her abduction doesn’t appear to have anything to do with saving those people.”

Her hand finds his arm. She must have moved closer at some point. “Ollie?”

“Whoever took her might not have gotten to her if she wasn’t there, though. Wrong place, wrong time and all that.”

“Who took her?” Her voice shakes, and her fingers shake, but he can’t focus on anything beyond that. He stares at her hand and tries to answer without crying.

“I don’t know. But the people… the men she stopped that night were sloppy. They couldn’t have pulled something like this off. The police caught them all: they’re in prison. I doubt they were working for anyone, just low-life scumbags that…”

He breaks off, the words catching in his throat.

“And no one knows anything?” Thea asks quietly, trying to pull him back. “No clues, or leads or anything?”

Oliver breathes in deeply through his nose, rubbing the back of his neck with both hands. “Only what was on the security footage at QI. She stopped by the office on the way home. Some men came up to talk to her, they all got into a van and drove away.”

“Wait.” Thea bends slightly to look into his eyes. “She willingly went with them?”

“It almost looks like they forced her, but it’s hard to tell.”

“But Felicity wouldn’t just leave like that…”

“Yeah, but the police don’t really see it that way. Only Lance is keeping the investigation open because he knows it’s out of character for her. 

Thea sits next to him heavily. “It doesn’t make any sense. Can’t they track the van? Can’t someone? ARGUS?”

“Lance found it, outside the city limits on a country road. Away from any houses or intersections. Abandoned. Almost completely empty.”

“Wow.” The word whooshes out on her breath, barely audible.

“Whoever did this, they were thorough. Calculating.”

“There’s been no ransom note? No explanation?”

Oliver swallows hard and pulls a crumpled envelope from his pocket. In a very small voice, he explains. “This was left taped to the steering wheel. The only thing in the van.” 

Thea takes it from him gently, and pulls out a slip of paper that reads “ _if you want her to live, you won’t come looking_ ,” printed on it.

“These were inside too.” Oliver holds up his hand, Felicity’s engagement ring and wedding band pinched between his thumb and forefinger.

Thea scrubs a hand over her face. She looks as though she wants to say something but doesn’t quite know how.

“I can’t do this, Thea.” The words slip out, small and unbidden as he clenches his fist around the rings. His eyes fill with tears and he looks away. “I can’t do this without her. Forget that the only person who could find Felicity _is_ Felicity, I can’t live without her. She makes me who I am. She makes me better.”

Thea grabs his shoulders firmly, speaking with conviction. “We will find her. We’ll get Captain Lance and ARGUS and everybody on it to up their game. We’ll do something. We’ll tell Barry and Nyssa and Sara and _somebody_ will be able to find something.”

He nods, too tired to argue. Not for the first time, he berates himself for failing to make sure she had security with her when she ran back to QI after the mission, for not asking her to take Roy or Diggle, for not going with her himself. But he’d wanted to make that night special, to bring her home to an evening where they could relax together after their long week.

Thea’s phone chirps, breaking him away from his thoughts. She answers a text quickly before getting up.

“Roy?”

“He wanted to make sure I’m ok.”

Oliver takes a breath, looking sadly at his sister. There is nothing else they can do. “Go home, Thea.”

Nodding, she places a kiss on his forehead. “I love you.”

“I love you too.”

“You going to be ok?”

“Yeah. Go get some rest. We’ll figure it out tomorrow.” 

She sighs and hugs him tightly. “We’ll find her. I promise.”

He walks her out the door and watches as she makes her way to her car. Thea can handle herself better than almost anyone, but she’s still his baby sister, and he’s not going to lose the other most important woman in his life tonight. When she reaches the vehicle, she turns to give him a little half-wave before getting in and driving off. He sighs, knowing she’ll text him when she gets home.

He doesn’t hear the shuffling of footsteps behind him until Meghan speaks.

“Mama?”

Closing the front door, Oliver turns to see his daughter standing in the hallway, blanket tucked beneath her arm, blond curls illuminated by the nightlight. Her sweet little voice breaks down Oliver’s resolve to keep it all together. She’s even wearing the panda pj’s Felicity bought two weeks ago, a detail that shouldn’t twist the fist clenched in his heart or take the air from his lungs, but does.

Stepping across the space, he kneels down, pulling his little girl into his arms. She should be in bed, fast asleep by now, but he can’t bring himself to reprimand her. He hadn’t realized until this moment how badly he needed to see her, to see that she was safe. The scent of strawberry soap and baby shampoo surrounds them and he breathes deeply, trying to calm himself.

“Daddy.” She squirms in his arms; pulling back to plant two chubby hands on his cheeks, trapping his tears between their skin. “Daddy’s crying?”

He can’t even smile at her innocent tenderness. “Yeah, baby. Daddy’s crying.”

“Daddy’s sad?”

“Yes, honey.” He tries to say more, but the words catch in his throat. He knows that she is too young to understand, and even if she wasn’t, Thea wouldn’t have told her anything the last few days. (For all she knows, Mama was on a business trip, scheduled to be home soon, though three days was longer than Felicity had ever been away for work in Meghan’s lifetime.)

Her little brow furrows, and it makes his heart ache the way her nose wrinkles, just like Felicity’s. “Why’re you sad, Daddy?” she leans in his arms, peaking around his shoulder. “Mama can kiss it, ‘n make it better.”

“Oh, sweetheart.” This shouldn’t be happening, not to a sweet child such as her.

“Mama?” she calls again, wiggling to get down and find her mother. (He’d been gone too—in her mind they’d probably been gone together.) He stands, lifting her up and setting her on a chair. Kneeling in front of her, he takes a deep breath.

“Baby, listen to me, ok?”

He waits until her bright blue eyes are focused on his. “Mama’s not here. She’s not coming home tonight.”

“Where’s Mama?”

Another tear slips down his cheek. She reaches to touch it, pressing her soft toddler hand to his face. “I don’t know, baby. She’s… she’s gone.”

“Why?”

He takes a deep breath. “Some bad men took her.” He’s not sure how to explain abduction to an almost three-year-old. He can’t fully fathom it himself.

“Bad men?”

“Yes, honey.”

“Where?”

“I don’t know, sweetheart. The police are trying to find her.”

Her brow furrows again. “Police. Grandpa Lance?”

“Yes. Police, like Grandpa Lance. They’re going to find her and bring her home.”

“When?”

He scoops her up, pulls her close, and breathes in the sweet scent of her hair again.

“Soon, baby. Oh dear God, I hope it’s soon.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm still working on the rest of the story, but I'd love your feedback! Eventually it will be posted as a separate story, but I just wanted to get a feel for the interest level. If you liked it, let me know! Also comment what you'd like to see happen later in the story.
> 
> As stated, I started working on this mid-season 3 and worked on it for the better part of a year before taking a break and coming back more recently. Because of that, Roy is still alive and part of the team, Donna and Lance are a thing, Olicity didn't break up because of baby-mama-drama, and instead got married in 2016 (the timeline still fits though, I think, and I could potentially change it so they get married in Dec. 2017 instead.) I don't think Felicity was paralyzed in this version of events, but it could still work with the story. I'm still working out which of the new characters to include, if any. 
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	11. post 5x20 drabble

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> after the events of episode 5x20. With Oliver safe and recovering, Felicity reflects and reconciles.

The ARGUS doctors want to keep Oliver overnight for observation and rest, so Digg offers to drive Felicity home. She stares at him blankly for a moment, arms wrapped tightly around her middle. She feels close to collapsing and can’t bear the thought of being alone. Lyla jumps in, offering their couch instead and Felicity agrees, allowing herself to be escorted out.

The drive is brief, John and Lyla chatting softly in the front seat. Felicity leans her head against the window and watches the city flash by. When they reach the apartment, Lyla steers her toward the bathroom with a towel and change of clothes while John gets fresh blankets for the couch.

Turning up the water as hot as she can stand it, Felicity strips out of her grimy clothing and steps into the shower. Everything aches, and she tips her head forward, letting the water flow over her neck and shoulders. Her upper body is going to be so sore tomorrow from dragging herself around tonight—holding onto Oliver’s shoulders as he carried her, scrambling to him when he passed out, and especially from when she almost fell down the shaft.

She shudders, despite the heat. She’s been near death before, but this was something else entirely. Tears mix with the shower water as the weight of what almost happened hits her. Oliver’s death grip on her hand after she’d slipped feels branded into her skin, and she’d known that they wouldn’t make it if he didn’t let go of her. But somehow they did, that amazing man of hers pulling her back up.

No. He’s not hers. Not really, not anymore. She’d closed the door on that when she started dating Billy. They still haven’t fully reconciled. He may not be with Susan anymore, but that doesn’t mean he’s ready to forgive her for walking away.

Felicity presses her hands to the shower wall, leaning forward. Her shoulders shake as she cries, the tension of the past few days finally getting to her. She hasn’t had time to process any of it. Helix, ARGUS, Cayden James, Prometheus. It’s all crashing down around her and she sinks to her knees.

The small of her back tingles a little, and her legs still feel half-asleep as her brain gets used to the technology in her spine working again. She’s very aware that she could have been paralyzed again, since this is the only working prototype. Miraculously, it wasn’t permanently damaged, and Curtis was able to do…something. She’s too tired to figure it out herself, but she’s glad. And the look on Oliver’s face when she walked in: that’s the way it always should have been.

The water beats down on her head, and Felicity sobs. She’s so tired. She feels so drained from it all, unsure how to feel. Helix froze her out, and she doesn’t know if she should be glad or upset. The cut on her head stings, and Oliver’s blood swirls in the drain, washing from her hands and thighs where it had seeped through her pants as he’d carried her.

She cries until the water starts to get cold. Standing, she reaches for the shampoo and soap, cleaning her hair and body quickly and methodically before getting out and drying off the same way. Lyla’s given her sweatpants and a sleep shirt to change into. She slips them on and steps out of the bathroom, toweling her hair.

John and Lyla sit in the kitchen, chatting. When she enters the room, John stands and pours her a cup of tea. She takes it, hanging the towel on the back of a chair and shifts awkwardly from foot to foot.

“I’m sorry, John, Lyla, I…” she breaks off, a lump filling her throat. John steps closer and pulls her into a hug. Felicity sets down the tea and hugs him back. She starts to cry again and he holds her as she shakes, rubbing her back gently.

Eventually, she pulls back, offering him a small smile. He returns the smile and gently kisses her forehead. Lyla reaches out a hand, and Felicity takes it.

“I’m sorry,” she says again, but Lyla shakes her head.

“We all work in morally grey areas, Felicity. I don’t agree with your choices, but I know that from what you could see, at the time, with the information you had, you did what you thought was best.”

“I should have come to you, though. I wanted to, but Helix didn’t, and I let them convince me that we shouldn’t even try. But, regardless of the outcome, I still should have come to you first.”

Lyla smiles gently, squeezing Felicity’s hand. “We’ve all made decisions we wish we hadn’t. I’m just glad you’re ok.”

Felicity balks at her. “You’re not mad about Cayden James?”

Lyla sighs. “I am upset that he was taken, yes. He’s dangerous. But I know that Prometheus poses a very serious threat too, and he’s more immediate for you, especially after taking Oliver.”

Felicity swallows, knowing she can’t deny it. She doesn’t want to anymore. Taking a deep breath, a wave of exhaustion hits her and she’s reminded once again of the physical ordeal she went through today, not to mention the emotional and mental aspects.

John puts a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Come on, Felicity. You need rest. We can talk more tomorrow.”

She allows herself to be led to the couch. John offers one more hug before she lies down, and she’s asleep before they leave the room.


	12. i will steal the time (if you will steal a kiss from me)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Post 5x23 Olicity drabble. pure speculation. probably will be obsolete after next week, especially if the cliffhanger means they don’t all make it home safe, which may not happen based on current cliffhanger teasings. 
> 
> (written post 5x22, pre 5x23)
> 
> Title from Tessa Violet's "Spend Some Time"

Their first night back together, all they do is sleep.

When the plane lands, few words are spoken. Digg takes Thea and Curtis to their respective homes, Dinah leaves on her bike, and Lance gives Rene a lift. It’s late, and they’ve all been up for more than 30 hours.

Oliver drives Felicity to the loft, not wanting to let her out of his sight as long as possible. They’re both dead on their feet, but she dozes on the drive, whereas Oliver’s able to keep enough focus to get them there safely. He has more experience when it comes to staying up long hours at a time.

His plan is to drop her off, make sure the doorman gets her to the elevator ok, or maybe walk her to her door himself, but she’s fast asleep when they arrive, so he parks in the underground lot and carries her up. She snuggles into his shoulder, and as tired as he is, he can’t help but revel in their close proximity, something he’s missed far too much.

He considers laying her on the couch, but knows that she’ll sleep better in her bed, so he carries her up to the room.

As Oliver sets her down, propped against the headboard, Felicity wakes with a tiny groan, blinking at the light of the lamp he clicks on.

“Shh, it’s ok. You’re home,” he tells her, sitting by her feet and undoing her boots.

She rubs her eyes, still close enough to sleep that she’ll slip back under easily. She pulls off her glasses and manages to set them on the bedside table, then fumbles with her jacket. Oliver reaches up to help her take it off, intending to help her lay down under the covers after. Even in her half-asleep state, Felicity doesn’t want sleep in her clothing though, which he should have expected.

She grabs a large shirt from the end of the bed, one that Oliver thinks might be an old one of his, and pulls it toward her. When she moves to take off the shirt she’s currently wearing, he turns away, not sure where they fall on the privacy spectrum anymore. She doesn’t ask for help as she changes, and he doesn’t offer, fidgeting and trying not to think of her half-naked body mere feet from his.

Felicity changes shirts quickly, tossing her dirty one and her bra on the floor. Oliver tries not to look at it as she wiggles her pants off without standing up. When the pants join the rest of her clothing on the floor, he turns back to help her get situated under the covers, though she probably doesn’t need it.

Yawning, Felicity snuggles down, her eyes slipping shut for longer and longer periods of time. Oliver leans over to kiss her forehead and reaches for the light. Felicity grabs his forearm.

“Stay,” she whispers, nodding at the question in his eyes. “Please.”

So he takes off everything but his boxers, and crawls into the other side of the bed. She turns off the light, but doesn’t turn toward him or snuggle into him. This isn’t the moment for that, this is just a moment to sleep, and sleep they do.

Oliver wakes late in the morning, curled around her. The curve of her spine is pressed into his chest, stray hairs tickling his skin. Felicity snuffles and sighs, the sounds that probably woke him. He’d be content to stay here all day, dozing in and out of sleep, but he hears his phone buzz in his pants pocket on the floor and groans softly.

Extracting himself from the cozy cocoon of their bed, he grabs his phone. Thea’s called him twice and texted that he has a press conference in an hour that he’d better not forget, damn it.

Sighing, Oliver grabs his clothes and begins to dress. He has to leave right away so he has time to shower and change at the bunker.

“Where are you going?” Felicity’s voice, rough from sleep, briefly slows his movements. He finishes pulling his shirt over his head and steps toward her.

“I have to go into the office. I’ll be ba…I’ll see you later, ok?”

She nods, sitting up a little, a furrow appearing between her brows. Oliver smiles at her, leaning down to kiss her forehead again, but she moves and catches him with her lips instead.

The kiss is chaste and short and sweet, but it still catches him off guard. Oliver pulls back, hope thudding in his chest. Her smile is shy, and she bites her lower lip, fiddling with a loose string on the bedding.

“Dinner tonight?” She asks. “I did promise you a date at Chez Marta.”

He’s grinning broadly when he reaches for her hand, squeezing it softly. “I would like that. I’ll pick you up at 7?”

She nods, and he smiles all the way to the office, something Thea teases him about all day.

They never do make it to the restaurant that night, but the takeout they eat together on the couch (much later than 7pm) tastes better than any fancy French food ever could.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realized after writing this that I didn't include William or Samantha. If this bothers you, the press conference Oliver has to attend could have to do with him, or something. I thought about adding them in, but since we have no idea how it will all go down, I decided to leave it. Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think!


	13. Post 5x23 Take Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that my last chapter was very similar to this one, but this was written after 5x23 aired, and that one before. I just got inspired and had to write it. 
> 
> The rating on the beginning of this chapter might border on M (or like T+ or something) for stronger allusions to sex than in the past. Anyway. Hope you enjoy!

They’ve only just stepped foot in the loft when Felicity grabs Oliver and kisses him for all she’s worth, leaving him no chance to ask (again) if she’s really sure she wants him to stay. It’s nothing like the chaste kiss she gave him before everything went down on the island, or even the fierce one he gave her when he found her after—it’s messy and needy and desperate, and it heats up quickly. He kisses her back, the fears of almost losing her pouring through. She’s crying and he’s crying, all the emotions and stress of the last several days finally breaking through.

They don’t really make it to the fully undressed part before he’s lifting her up onto the counter and sliding home for the first time in months. This isn’t merely the gentle lovemaking of re-uniting their bodies together. It’s not the rough, angry way he almost wished to use to shake her to her bones as she became reckless in the last few months. It’s certainly nothing like the half-drunk, half-frenzied night in the bunker last summer. It isn’t hurried, or rough, or even frantic, though perhaps a bit fervent, but in a way that’s an affirmation of love and life. This is an “I thought I lost you,” and “God am I glad you’re alive” moment of desperation that shakes them both to their core the moment Oliver slides in.

Felicity pulls her lips away from his, wraps her arms around his shoulders and sobs into his neck. He holds her and trembles. Neither of them wants to move ever again, but neither of them really wants to stay still either. When he moves again, it’s needy and desperate and they cling to one another as if they’ll never let go.

Eventually they make it to the couch. Eventually, he pulls her torn and sooty clothing away from her skin and discards his own. Eventually they both stop crying for everything they almost lost and focus on what they have here instead. They take their time re-learning everything about each other. Felicity can’t stop kissing every part of Oliver that she can reach, and he can’t stop bringing her lips back to his. After a little more crying and a lot more loving, they fall asleep, Felicity draped across Oliver’s chest.

They’re woken by a knock on the door mid-morning. The loft is bright and full of light, but they stay where they are, snuggled together in the warmth. Oliver moves his hands up and down the expanse of Felicity’s back and she nuzzles her face into his collarbone. He almost forgets about what woke him in the first place as he gazes down at her and the halo of gold hair that clouds her head and tickles his skin.

The front door opens and Thea steps inside. She doesn’t see them at first, calling toward the stairs: “Ollie? Felicity! I brought breakfast!”

She’s entering the kitchen when Felicity’s head pops up over the back of the couch. They stare at each other for a moment before Thea yells in disgust and covers her eyes, spinning away.

“Oh, gross, you guys! Seriously? Down here? Come on! People sit on that couch!”

Oliver’s laughing and Thea’s groaning and Felicity flops back down on Oliver’s chest, cheeks red with embarrassment. He wraps one of the blankets that’s covering them around her shoulders and helps her stand without revealing anything, taking another to cover himself.

“You should’ve called, Speedy,” Oliver says, grinning. He drops a kiss on Felicity’s hair, but she’s still flustered. Thea half turns, peeking through her fingers, then dropping her hand altogether when she see’s they’re decent, or at least covered.

“You wouldn’t have answered.” She crosses her arms and makes a point to only look at her brother’s face. He grins and she rolls her eyes.

“I’m gonna….” Felicity gestures toward the stairs with her head, as both hands are inside the blanket holding it securely around herself. “Um. Yeah.”

She scampers toward the stairs and disappears. Moments later they can hear the shower running.

“You know I should probably….” Oliver starts to move toward the stairs.

“Oh no you don’t mister.” Thea picks up his dirty jeans from the floor and throws them at him. “Put those on. You can wait until she’s done or we’ll never get out of here, and I’ll probably hear a lot of things I don’t _ever_ need to.”

Oliver chuckles at her but does as she asks. Thea begins to make coffee while they wait, pulling out a box of assorted muffins and other bakery sweets from the many bags she brought along. Oliver eats two before she swats his hand away.

It only takes Felicity about 20 minutes to shower, dress, and put on a light coat of makeup. She hasn’t even added lipstick or done anything to her hair when she arrives back downstairs in a rush.

“I smell coffee.”

Oliver grins, kisses her softly, and turns toward the stairs. Belatedly, he realizes, “oh. I don’t have anything clean to wear.”

“Got you covered, bro.” Thea tosses another of the bags she brought at him. “I grabbed a few of your things since I figured you two wouldn’t have thought of that last night. Now, hurry, or we’re going to be late.”

“Really?” Felicity blinks, pausing before her sip of coffee. Oliver has already disappeared upstairs. Thea grins at Felicity and shakes her head.

“No, but if I don’t tell him that we will.”

“Oh. Right.” Felicity swallows some of the hot drink. Her face is still flushed pink when she reaches for a cronut. “Listen, Thea, I’m sorry about earlier, but I assure you, we were just sleeping together when you got here. I mean sleeping, sleeping! Not…”

“Felicity.” Thea stops Felicity with a hand on her wrist. “I know that you love my brother and he loves you. I know you used to date, and that you were engaged, and I know everything that goes along with that. I’m fine with it. More than fine. But I’d really not like to hear about it or think about it in specifics because he’s my _brother_.”

“Right. Of course. Absolutely. You got it, sister.”

Thea barely notices the familial remark, moving to get herself more coffee, but Felicity’s eyes widen behind her glasses and she sucks in a breath so deep and so quickly that Thea’s afraid she’ll pass out.

“Felicity?”

“That’s not… I didn’t… we’re not….” she closes her eyes and mouths something that looks like counting down for some reason. When she opens them again she’s slightly calmer, except for her rushing words.

“I didn’t mean to imply that Oliver and I are engaged again because we aren’t, not yet. Maybe someday. Probably. We’re…starting over, I guess. Not that I don’t want to be your sister! I do, I mean, I almost was. And I love you like a sister anyway. I just don’t want you to get the wrong idea. We’re…just not there yet.”

Thea’s smiling at her and reaches for her hand again. “It’s fine, Felicity. I knew what you meant. But for the record, I really can’t wait until you _are_ officially my sister.”

Felicity swallows hard at that and blinks rapidly. Thea smiles at her and grabs a muffin.

When Oliver comes back downstairs after his shower, hair still damp, he and Felicity can’t stop smiling at each other. There’s stuff to be done though, and Thea manages to get them out the door and over to the hotel where Samantha and William are staying without too much delay. 

It’s time to start putting this little family back together for good.


	14. my huckleberry friend and me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Will's little family is growing, and he couldn't be happier. 
> 
> Chapter title from Moon River

Ever since he was a little kid, Will’s wanted a younger brother or sister. His mom always said that it wasn’t something she could handle at the moment and besides, he was all she needed. Will agreed for a while: their family was small, but it was enough. Still, he sometimes wondered if he’d have siblings if his dad were still around.

When his mom’s friend Oliver started hanging round, Will wondered if it meant he’d have a chance at a brother or sister someday. Will knew enough to understand that you needed a mom and a dad for a baby to be born, but Oliver didn’t seem so interested in getting to know Will’s mom, just Will for the most part. Not that Will minded, he liked hanging out with Oliver either way.

When Will is kidnapped twice in just over a year, the Green Arrow saves him both times. But the second time, the Green Arrow’s also Oliver. And if the crazy guy that took Will is right, Oliver is Will’s dad.

It’s confusing and exciting and scary all at the same time. Will has always wanted to know who his dad is, but he doesn’t even have time to consider that his parents could maybe get back together again and have another kid, because as soon as they find Will’s mom and the others, it is pretty obvious that Oliver is involved with the woman named Felicity, the one the crazy man mentioned. Will is still a kid, but even he can tell that they love each other a lot and if Oliver ends up marrying anyone it’s going to be her and not Will’s mom.

Will finds that he didn’t really mind, though. Felicity is pretty cool. After they get back from the crazy island and Will and his mom move to Star City to be closer to Will’s dad, Will starts hanging out with him and Felicity a lot. Felicity is funny and really smart. She talks a lot, and sometimes accidentally says things she probably shouldn’t, but Will likes her. She is really good at helping Will with his homework and she gives the best hugs.

She likes Will a lot too, which he is really happy about. Dave from his class at his old school got a step-mom after his parents divorced, and she didn’t seem to like Dave that much and never wanted to hang out with Dave. Felicity’s not like that. She always wants to hang out with Will no matter what, and is excited to let him spend time with his Dad whether she’s there or not.

It’s especially exciting when she and Dad get married, making Felicity an official part of their family. Not that she wasn’t before, but Will’s just glad because she makes his Dad really happy and that makes Will really happy too.

So when Will goes to Dad and Felicity’s one Saturday about a year after they got married and Felicity doesn’t go to the park with them like usual, he’s not worried. Dad says she isn’t feeling well, but Will thinks little of it. He misses talking to her, but she isn’t around all the time anyway. Sometimes she has other work to do, and sometimes Dad just wants to hang out with Will one on one.

Will does get a little worried the next time he comes by and she is still sick, though. Adults don’t really get sick that much in Will’s experience, at least not more than a cold or something. Jenna’s mom got sick for a really long time and then they found out she had cancer. Dad says this is nothing to worry about though, so Will tries not to. It gets harder, though, when Felicity is _still_ sick when he comes over the next Friday on his day off of school to spend the long weekend with them. He hers her puking upstairs, which would be kind of gross if he wasn’t so concerned. He misses Felicity too, partly because Dad isn’t quite as good at helping Will with math homework and partly because she is just fun to talk to (and knows a lot more nerdy movie references than his dad).

Dad keeps telling him not to worry, but he can’t help it. Especially when Felicity joins them for breakfast on Saturday and doesn’t drink coffee, just a cup of mint tea or something. Will has never known Felicity to not drink coffee. She told him once she needed it like air and often joked about being a grumpy bear in the morning without it.

This morning, though, she’s not grumpy, just kind of sluggish or something. Tired, Will guesses. Dad stays beside her and rubs her back gently, making her plain, dry toast (gross) to eat and refilling her tea.

Felicity smiles at Will and ruffles his hair, trying to be more upbeat for his sake, but he’s not stupid and he can see that she’s putting on an act. He’ll let it slide though, mostly because he’s just worried. What if something’s really wrong and the adults are all just choosing to ignore it?

(When he asks his mom later, though, she says that if something _is_ wrong, Dad and Felicity will let them know, but for now they should just believe them that everything is fine.)

When he and Dad get back from the batting cages late that afternoon, Felicity’s waiting on the couch. She asks Will’s dad if he could please run to the store and get her some cookie dough ice cream?

This is weird because Will knows mint chip is her favorite. It’s also weird because she’s still sick and didn’t eat much for breakfast _or_ lunch except toast, crackers, and a little plain chicken. It’s _especially_ weird because Dad agrees. They go to the store and get two whole tubs of cookie dough ice cream. Will’s confused because he’s never gotten to eat ice cream when he was sick, and he’s not sure that he would even want to if he was just going to throw it back up.

“Shouldn’t we get her crackers and ginger ale instead? Or something?” he suggests, since it's what his mom always give him when he's sick. His dad considers that.

“You know, I’ve actually read that ginger ale can help,” he mutters, more to himself than to Will, but they still get the ice cream too.

Dad makes Felicity eat some rice and boiled chicken before the ice cream. She eats a lot more of the ice cream though. She’s sick again the next morning, and Will fights the urge to say, _“I told you so_ , _”_ but mostly just because it’s not polite. He’s still worried though, and knows his Dad can tell, even though Will tries to hide it since they keep telling him not to.

The next time he comes over, they’re waiting for him in the living room. Dad tells him that homework can wait today because they have something to talk to him about.

Will’s heart drops into his stomach, and the worry kicks up a notch. Dad and Felicity don’t look sad, though, which is confusing. He sits down and waits, fidgeting.

“We were going to wait a few weeks to let you know about this, but you’ve been so worried lately that we decided you deserved to know,” Dad starts, and it doesn’t alleviate any of Will’s confusion.

“Ok,” he responds, looking between them. Felicity’s smiling but she also looks like she’s about to cry, even though she’s not sad.

“Have you ever thought about having a sibling, Will?” Dad asks, and Will honestly doesn’t see the question coming. He also doesn’t see the connection, because his brow furrows even as he nods.

“Yeah. I’ve _always_ wanted one, but Mom says it was never the right time.”

His dad breathes a sigh that sounds really relieved and grins at Felicity briefly before turning back to Will.

“I’m really glad to hear that, buddy, because you’re going to be a big brother.”

It takes a second to register, but when it does, Will leaps to his feet. “Really?”

They’re both grinning and laughing and Felicity’s crying a little.

“Really,” Dad says. “Felicity’s pregnant, and in about seven months, you’re going to have a little brother or sister.”

Will hollers with excitement. He’s jumping up and down and grinning so wide that his face might split in half. Dad grabs him and hugs him. He’s crying a little too. When Will calms down a bit, he asks him why.

“I’m just really glad you’re as excited as we are. Some kids don’t react well to the news that they’re getting a sibling, especially if they’ve been an only child for a long time. This baby is going to take up a lot of our time, because babies need a lot of attention and care. That might take away a little from the attention that we can give you, but it doesn’t mean we love you less.”

“I know,” Will answers automatically. “I’ll still get to come over here, right?”

“Of course.”

“And will I get to help take care of the baby?”

“Sure.”

He nods firmly. “Then I don’t see how I could think you loved me less with another baby, especially since I’ll get to love the baby too.”

Felicity pulls him in for a hug then. Will hugs her back fiercely before remembering that there’s a baby inside her and maybe he should be careful. Felicity doesn’t seem to care, though, and holds him just as tightly as ever.

“Thank you,” she whispers when she pulls back. Will frowns.

“For what?”

“For accepting me into your family, and for accepting this baby as your sibling. I know it’s been hard sometimes, and I’m just glad of all the kids in the world, you’re the one that’s Oliver’s son. It’s not always easy for kids to accept their dad’s new wives and children, but you’ve accepted us anyway, and I’m so grateful. So thank you for being you, Will.”

Will grins at her and she kisses his face. He doesn't even pretend to be grossed out this time, since he's so happy.

“I can’t wait to tell Nick!” Will says, an arm still around Felicity. “Can I call him?”

To his surprise, his dad shakes his head. “Not quite yet, buddy. In about three weeks, we’re going to release an official press release, and then you can tell anyone you want. But for now, we’re keeping it in the family.”

“Why?” Will asks, confused that they wouldn’t want to share the news with the whole world.

“The most complications with pregnancies happen in the first twelve weeks, so people tend to wait until that point is over before announcing it,” Felicity explains.

“Is that why you’ve been so sick?”

She chuckles dryly. “No, unfortunately that’s pretty normal in the early stages of any pregnancy. It should pass soon, though.”

“Ok,” Will says, though he doesn’t quite understand. They covered sex ed in his health class this year, but they didn’t talk a lot about what happens when someone is pregnant. Even at age 12, he’s not spent a lot of time around pregnant women in his lifetime. “Does Mom know?”

“Yeah,” Dad says with a smile. “We told her last night when we asked if we could tell you, since you’ve been so worried about Felicity being sick. The family knows, and Team Arrow does too, but nobody else just yet.”

Will nods then grins again. “This is awesome.”

Dad pulls him in for another hug, and Will decides that this sibling was worth the wait.


	15. 6x04 Drabble-Ties

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> William helps Oliver pick out his tie for his date with Felicity.

“Hey buddy. How was your day?”

William glances up from his textbook. “It was ok, I guess.”

“School was good?”

“Yeah.”

“Good.” Oliver shifts awkwardly in the doorway. “I just wanted to let you know that Raisa’s going to say here this evening for a little while, ok?”

William looks up again, frowning slightly. “Why?”

“I, uh,” Oliver clears his throat. “I have a date.”

“A date?” William sounds wary. “That’s not just a fancy way of saying the other guy, is it?”  
“No.” Oliver steps into the room. “I promised that was over, and I meant it.”

“Ok.” Willam offers a half shrug and turns back to his textbook. He sounds a bit bored with the conversation, but he sounds bored with most conversations these days. Oliver guesses it’s partly pre-teen angst and mostly leftover pain from losing his mother.

“You don’t mind?”

“That you’re going on a date? It’s whatever.”

Oliver shoves his hands in his pockets, mentally berating himself for thinking this conversation would go any other way. “If it makes you uncomfortable or upset, I can cancel.”

“No, it’s fine.”

From his tone, Oliver can clearly tell that it is not fine.

“William, buddy, look at me.”

Sighing, William does as asked.

Oliver sits on the edge of the bed and looks his son directly in the eye. “I don’t have to go on this date tonight. If the idea of me dating and bringing someone else into my life, and by extension your life makes you uncomfortable in any way, I won’t do it. You come first, and if you’re not ready, that’s fine. I can call Felicity and cancel. She’ll understand.”

“Wait.” William perks up. “You’re going on a date with Felicity?”

“Yeah…”

“Can I come?”

The shift from boredom to excitement is enough to give a person whiplash. Oliver chuckles. “Sorry, buddy, the reservation’s for two. Raisa’s your date tonight.”

“Aww.” William scrunches his face a little, looking bummed out.

“You could help me pick out my tie, though.” Oliver offers.

“Really? Ok!” William jumps up, and is out the door before Oliver can stand.

When Oliver reaches his own room, William is already going through the array of ties that hang with his dress shirts. “Are you wearing that suit or a different one?”

“Um,” Oliver glances down. “Yeah, I think this one’s good. Black is nice and classic.”

“Ok. Hmmm.” William sorts through the ties very carefully. He pulls a several out and holds them up to Oliver’s neck until he has it narrowed down to three. These, he rotates through twice, finally landing on a textured dark red one. “Put this one on, I want to see how it looks.”

Oliver chuckles and complies. William hands him his suit coat and he puts that on too, trying not to laugh as William frowns, deciding.

“Maybe, but try this one too.” The second tie is a dark one with tiny white dots and larger red dots. Oliver puts it on, and instantly William grins.

“Yes. Go with that one. She’ll love it.”

Oliver has to laugh at that, loving the level of commitment William’s putting into this. “Thanks buddy.”

“Are you sure I can’t come? I have a clip on tie somewhere, I think. It might be a little too small though…”

Oliver claps him on the shoulder. “Not this time, buddy. We’ll do something all three of us another night though, ok?”

William nods, expecting this answer but still a little sad. “Ok.”

“I’ll be sure to tell her that you helped me pick this out. It’s a good choice.”

William’s grinning again. “Cool. Tell her hi for me.” He bounds off to his room, mission complete.

Oliver chuckles, texting Felicity about his son’s excitement. She texts back a heart eye emoji, and all the rest of his nervousness vanishes.

He has a feeling tonight is going to be a good one.


	16. Married (pre 6x09)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Short ficlet about morning after Oliver and Felicity's wedding. 
> 
> I just got inspired, I don't know.

_[photo inspiration from Tumblr](http://birdasaurus.tumblr.com/post/168094199794) _

 

He wakes curled around her, something that hasn’t happened since before they got engaged the first time. Every time they’ve slept together in the last few months they’ve never actually _slept_ for more than a few hours. If she didn’t have to get up and head off to help Team Arrow, he’d be back to his apartment to be there when William woke up. Before that, after she’d been shot, curling up like this wasn’t really comfortable for her while sleeping.

But now, with his arm is wrapped around her waist, her shoulder blades pressed up against his chest, and their legs are tangled together, he’s in heaven. He nuzzles down, pulling her a little closer, and she makes a sleepy snuffling noise and mumbles something with a little sigh. It makes him smile, and he basks in the comfort of it for a little while, drifting back off to sleep with a peace that he hasn’t had for far too long.

When he wakes again, she’s gone from his arms, but a quick glance around the room tells him she’s not far. She’s sitting on the windowsill in the sunshine with her knees tucked up to her chest, his shirt slipping from her shoulders.

Oliver sits slowly, swinging his legs over the side of the bed to stand. Felicity's head tilts as she hears him move, but she doesn’t look at him.

Crossing the room to stand behind her, he drops a kiss to her head and works his thumbs into her shoulder muscles. She hums in approval, leaning back into him.

“Whatcha doing?” he murmurs.

“People watching,” comes the reply.

They’re 10 stories up, so he’s not terribly worried about anyone seeing her nearly naked form from the sidewalk, but he’d still rather she’d come away from the window. He has other ideas for morning pastimes.

“Come back to bed,” he begs, dropping one of his hands to catch hers and tug on it gently. She turns to him, glowing and radiant in the early morning sunlight.

“Good morning, husband,” she says softly, an impish grin on her face. His heart skips a beat at her words and he can’t help the grin that nearly splits open his own face.

“Good morning, _wife_.”

She slips off the windowsill and steps close to him, pressing her body up against his and rising on her toes to kiss him. His shirt slips to her wrists and he reaches down to pull it off and pick her up.

They’ve got to get back to Star City and tell William and Thea that they’re married and they should probably call her mom, but for now, he carries her back to the bed and enjoys a slow, blissful morning with his beautiful wife.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since they came into town on the motorcycle probably, I figured that it made sense for them to stay in CC one more night since Felicity wasn't really dressed for bike riding at the impromptu wedding. I saw the picture on tumblr and ran with it. Anyway. Hope you enjoyed!


End file.
